


You only see what you want to see

by SilverLiningss



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, M/M, ZUDE - Freeform, changing canon a little bit, lies and drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverLiningss/pseuds/SilverLiningss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a city where everybody lies to get what they want, how much can you really trust the person you love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You only see what you want to see

**Author's Note:**

> So I always felt like they made Zude a little too simple and especially Jude's character. On a show that always wants crazy twists I thought Jude could need an interesting twist which makes Zude a lot more complicated (and in the end hopefully a bit more intense). Jude wants to be the next Oscar right? But how much is he really like his father?  
> This first chapter is gonna apear very confusing on it's own but it will make more and more sense further down the line, I promise.

The water ran cold over her right hand while she cleaned the knife. She glanced out the window to see if the clouds had cleared up by now but it was still unusually dark and cloudy for L.A. With a quick move she turned the water of and pulled the kitchen towel off of her shoulder to dry the sink. But there was a noise. She could here it even thru the music that was playing. It was a key turning in the front door of the apartment. As fast as she got alerted she relaxed again. He actually showed up. Of course he did, how could he not but it still gave her a level of satisfaction to know he would follow her call when ever it was important. They were still a team.

_The wedding was so cliche. Everything about it made her want to laugh out loud, the overflow of flowers and lovey dovey crap, all the decoration, no this just wasn't her world. But this was were she needed to be, right here, right now. It was loud too, music playing, half of the people on the dance floor and the other half still sitting at their tables talking and laughing. Wedding always had this fake atmosphere. It was all just a show, people wanted to show off. She raised her glass to her lips and drank the rest of the way too expensive campaign. Her eyes scanned the table, that one table she needed to see._  
_They were still talking. Too her it seemed like they never stopped looking at each other or giving each other signs even when they were in a conversation with somebody else. It was as if they wanted to assure each other that they were still here together. She wasn't a big fan of people looking so codependent also that wasn't the problem but she couldn't help but think that their outfits were awful._  
_“Men like that should not were ugly suits and ties.” she muttered to herself. She was too far away to see his eyes and a strain of hair had fallen in his face creating a shadow over his face._  
_“Come on. Get up. Go dancing. Go screwing somewhere. Please just get up already.” she whispered to herself._  
_It felt like another hour to her until the blonde finally pushed his chair back and looked challenging down to the brunette. His partner got up with a grin and they walked down towards one end of balcony which had the best view of the beach._  
_“Urg, finally.” she grunted and gave her empty glass to a waiter who was passing her just now. Their table was empty now. She just had to search a minute in her purse for the note and walked as elegant as she possible could through the crowd to their table. The jacket of his suit was lying over the back of his chair. It was so hot and she couldn't blame him for taking it of. She pretended as if she had to fix a string on her stiletto bowed down and slipped the note into one of the pockets of his jacket._

_Getting an invitation to the wedding was easier than she thought it would be. The whole time she tried to tell herself that seeing him wasn't going have an affect on her. She wasn't that kind of woman and he was technically doing what he was supposed to do. When she got “home”, it wasn't really home but it was the place she returned to at the end of the day there was still this feeling. She just couldn't place it, couldn't say what it was._

It worked. He really came. She took the knife and tomatoes to start cutting them. She turned down the music and concentrated on the movement at the door, down the hall. The door opened and the key was put on the high cupboard. She could here shoes being taken off and thrown onto the floor. Steps. Steps where moving towards the kitchen. She didn't stop her movement, she continued cutting the vegetables and didn't turn around even tho she was standing with her back turned towards the door. There was no need to. Without saying a word he walked up to her, now standing behind her. She could smell him and here his steady heart beat. He smelled a little different than she remembered but not too different. He lowered his head and laid it onto her left shoulder. Not saying a word. Just watching her work. They stayed just like this for a minute until one of his arms curled around her waist and the other one took the knife out of her hand. She closet her eyes. He was here. His head moved away from her shoulder and his lips moved along her neck up to her ear.  
“You wanted to see me.” It wasn't a question. It was a fact. It was just the call he followed like she would follow his call whenever he needed her.  
“I did.” She took a long breath, opened and turned her head to look into his eyes. There it was. Nothing wild or questioning. Just the look in his eyes that she needed to see.  
“Hi.” she whispered. She moved one of her hands up to run it across his jaw and he closet his eyes when he felt the touch.  
“Hi.” he breathed. “How long are you gonna be here?”  
“A week. Tops. I just heard what happened and had a few questions.”  
“You think I did it.”  
“Did you?”  
“Yes.”

She looked up at him. Brutal honesty. All they ever asked from each other.  
“Okay.” It was okay. “I trust that you fixed it up enough so they aren't gonna catch you.”  
“I have” His voice was calm and low. “Got all the evidence out of the way, payed enough to the cops who are working on the case. My fingerprints aren't on anything incriminating. And they made an arrest yesterday with pretty waterproof evidence.”  
“Fake evidence.”  
“Sure but perfect fake.” 

She couldn't help but smile. Now she turned around completely and put a hand on his shoulder, the other one still resting on his jaw.  
“I don't like the clean shaved look.” He shrugged and rolled his eyes. The look made her frown. “You look so much younger and you should wear the hair pushed back.”  
“Anything else you don't like?” he said mockingly.  
“Yes. How did you pick that god awful suit at the wedding? Are you colorblind now? What was that tie?” He just laughed in response and leaned further down so their foreheads would touch.  
“I missed you.”  
“No you didn't.” she bit back. He had he eyes closeted and pulled her closer to him, forcing her to put her arms around his neck.  
“Yes I did.”  
“You seemed to be having a great time. And you wouldn't have to miss me if you worked better at the ownership deal. If you just did it the way we planned.” She wasn't trying to sound accusing but it was certainly in her words. She pushed one of her hands thru his dark hair and combed it back until it looked like she wanted it to.  
“Better.” She whispered and pushed herself up to brush their lips together. It was slow and familiar. 

After a few seconds he broke the kiss, smiled down and let go of her. She stood still and watched him examine the apartment like a cat which walked into a new area. It wasn't her place anyway. It was just hers for the week. He picked up a few magazines, changed the song that was playing to one that he liked and let himself fall onto the dark blue couch. He stretched himself out and opened the buttons of his shirt at his wrists. He pulled the tie off and rolled up the sleeves, than his head fell back on one of the little soft pillows.  
After a short battle with herself if she should just keep on cooking or if she should join him she washed her hands, walked over to him and set down in the comfortable armchair next to the couch.

“Are you mad at me?” He wasn't looking at her while he spoke. He was starring at the ceiling.  
“I don't know. Do I have a reason to be mad at you?”  
“Well this whole thing takes way longer than we thought it would. At this point I don't even know if it's going to work out the way we planned. This was supposed to be our last big thing. This was supposed to be us settling down. I could understand why you would be mad.”  
She studied his face. He looked stressed and worried.  
“I'm not mad about that. It takes as long as it does and if it doesn't go our way we will look for something else.” He raised his eyebrows.  
“You aren't mad about THAT? Is there something else?”  
She was still trying to figure out his expression but was distracted by a mark on his neck. It was dark violet and placed over his collarbone. It looked like it was a day old, maybe two. Yeah, was there something bothering her? Something that made her mad at him?  
“I'm not sure yet.” she said out loud.  
“What is it?”  
“I think you are getting a little too comfortable here. I don't know. I just don't want you to get distracted. We can't afford that.”  
He sat up and rested his hands on his knees. He raised his head to look at her and his dark grew-brown eyes were not shying away from her. She knew he could read it in her face what she was thinking. He knew she saw that mark, he knew she saw them in the press and on the wedding together. He knew exactly what was going through her head right now.  
“We have rules.” She said.  
“I know. I haven't broken any of our rules.”  
“Are you sure about that? Please, think really carefully before you answer this.” she lead back in the armchair. She saw a quick grin shine over his face which made her a little bit mad. They were better than this. Better than petty jealousy, better than a half-assed plan which was constantly interrupted by the idiocy of other people.

“I love you.” he said very slow.  
“Says the professional liar.” she gave back.  
“To the professional con.” he said, clearly trying to make her laugh. She bite her inner cheek because she didn't want to give him this win.  
“I'm not a con. I just know the system and the people who are working the system.”  
“Speaking off that, how is that Senator? The one from Colorado.” He was clearly trying to change subject and for now she was willing to play along with it.  
“Oh he is great. I mean not great but he served his purpose for me.” she couldn't help but grin.  
“Really? Did he pay the whole thing? Everything we wanted?”  
“Yes he sure did. Not that he really had a choice. I don't think he would want the material I have on him to ever see the light of day. He should have been so much smarter. But now everybody has what they want, we have our money and he can still run for re-election without having a sex scandal destroying his oh so beautiful happy family.”  
“I'm so proud of you. I missed you.” his voice was soft and she wanted to return something bitchy but the expression on his face was holding her back. “I love you.”

“I'm not the first person to hear those three words from you today, am I?” she knew that she sounded mean and ungrateful. But right now all she could think was seeing them at the wedding together. When they walked in together, when they laughed together, the way they danced together. They didn't seem to notice anybody else around them. It was not something she liked seeing. At all.  
“No you're not. But people say 'I love you' all the time without really meaning it.”  
“Wow. Great answer.”  
“Babe.” He reached forward to touch her knee but she pulled her legs up on the chair and curled her arms around them. He let his arm sink down slowly. “Nothing has changed. I didn't break our rules.”  
“I don't believe you.”  
“Why not?”  
She stayed quiet. This was a question that she didn't want to answer. Not for him, not for herself.  
“I don't mind sharing your body but I'm not okay with sharing your heart.”  
“You are not sharing my heart with anybody. Why would you think that of me? Don't you think that I have enough respect for you to tell you if I didn't want to be with you?”  
“I'm not saying that you don't want to be with me I'm saying that it looks like you want to be with somebody else as well.” Her fingernails were digging deep into her own skin because she was trying to keep herself from sounding too desperate or emotional. She hated taking things like this too serious. But those pictures of them together were branded into her mind. It was true, she didn't mind him having sex with someone else, they both didn't. Just fun. It was never really a big deal to her because they knew each other better than anybody else ever could. Their level of understanding and team work would not be attack by an outsider. At least that's what she thought.  
“I know you. I know you better than you know yourself but I also saw you. With him at that wedding. That was different.”  
“Bullshit.” He was shaking his head and avoiding her eyes. “It's not different.”

“Did you miss that? Is that what it is? You missed having somebody fall in love with you all over again.” She wasn't accusing him, she was just trying to understand her own discomfort with the current situation. “You missed having someone at hand who needed you? When was the last time you had someone begging on their knees for you?”  
“This morning.” He grinned and he knew it was a rhetorical question but he was trying to lighten up the mood. He only got a disapproving groan in respond.  
“I bet he is a screamer. Every man dumb enough to get that hair color has to be a pussy.”  
“Nah he's alright but I've had better.” He was holding his head leaned to the side and a slight grin played on his lips. This was nothing but a challenge. Without a warning she climbed out of the chair and made a long step over to where he was sitting. She pushed herself up and sat down on his lap curling her legs around him and starring into his eyes. It took all his power to not look shocked or shrug away at her sudden moves and it was even harder to hold the dead serious stare she was giving him now. When she spoke her voice was soft and calm.

“I know you've had better. But I saw you.” she was drawing the words out. With every word she was bringing their bodies closer together until he could feel her breath on his skin. “You looked really happy. You looked so happy baby.” She could feel his body tense under her and saw that his hands where dug into the couch as if he was waiting for her to give him permission to touch her.  
“I like seeing you happy. I just can't afford losing you, not now, not like this. We are still a team, right?” He nodded and hummed in response.  
“And you like him? You want to keep that little love sick puppy around now that it looks like he can't live without you?” He nodded again. She could feel his heart beat picking up speed, if it was because of the lack off distance between them or because of her words, she wasn't sure. Asking again about his feelings for that guy wasn't going to help anybody so she asked the only thing that mattered to her.  
“Have your feelings for me changed in anyway?”  
“No.” His voice was clear. It was the same tone he had when she asked him about the shooting. Brutal honesty. All they ever wanted from each other.  
“Thank you Jude.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know this chapter is not very Zude heavy but bear with me. We are gonna get there.


End file.
